Chinese Media Outlet Apologizes To Tesla For FUD — Perhaps Other Outlets Should Take Notes

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Twitter user Ray4Tesla shared that an automobile social media outlet in China took responsibility for the fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) it spread against Tesla in China. The network publicly apologized to Tesla for spreading the rumors of brake failure without any evidence. The outlet also urged other outlets to delete the false information and made a promise to stop spreading rumors in the future. I think both the American and some European media outlets should take notes.

An auto social media outlet in China steps out, publicly apologizing to @Teslacn for spreading “brake failure” rumors without evidence. He urges other outlets to delete the false info & promises to stop spreading rumors in the future. Very interesting development. #FUD, #TSLAQ pic.twitter.com/bLmmPzcT4S

— Ray (@ray4tesla) May 14, 2021

The apology was written in Mandarin, but Twitter user Dr.Hodling shared that the account doing the apologizing was verified and has 250,000 followers.

this verified account "60秒懂车" (meaning: 60 seconds know cars) with 250,000 followers publicly apologizes now, but legal actions can still be taken against it. $tslaq watch and learn.

— Sustain Rex (@SustainRex) May 14, 2021

Other screenshots were shared, including this translation of one of the screenshots. Please note that the translation could be a little confusing but it reads as follows:

“The above articles have not been verified, and the contents of the above articles have not been verified. There is no basis for the content, it’s a purely subjective observation or kneading, misguided a large group it has caused significant damage to Tesla’s reputation.

“This account is hereby created for Tesla Inc. and Tesla brand in connection with the original article. The negative impact of this is a sincere tribute to Tesla. And makes a deep think again: make sure that similar events do not happen again. At the same time, we would also like to inform you that the original text has been reproduced by text or video. The self-media, please delete it, do not expand the spread of the retransmission!”

There’s more, but in a nutshell, it seems to me that the organization that published this was trying to right a wrong and emphasized that this story wasn’t just made up, but was completely made up. What leads me to believe that was the part where they said there was no basis for the content.

Other Media Outlets Should Take Notes, At The Very Least

Well that wouldn't happen in America! LOL!

— Martin Muldoon (@MuldoonMartin) May 14, 2021

In the tweet above, Martin Muldoon pointed out an obvious fact. Personally, I believe that those in the media shouldn’t be lumped together. For example, one writer isn’t responsible for what another one believes or has a bias against. So, going forward, please note that when I say “the media,” I am speaking about those who are making money based on negative headlines without any factual evidence or with factual evidence that is twisted in order to present a biased narrative.

A great example of this is the Tesla crash in Houston that happened just so recently. Many members of the media stated that Tesla’s Autopilot was the cause but didn’t quite state that. Instead, they brilliantly insinuated that and cherry-picked across the facts to present the vision of an out-of-control Tesla car that is killing people.

Instead of waiting on the NTSB and other authorities to finish their investigations, media outlets ran with the story of a driverless Tesla that is the culprit of the accident. However, Elon Musk stated that the particular Tesla didn’t have Autopilot engaged nor was that vehicle signed up for FSD. Yet the media completely ignored this and went on with their narrative.

For those interested in the NTSB’s findings, in a nutshell, the investigators confirmed Tesla’s statements and found that there was actually a driver in the seat before the crash. It also raised questions about the statements made by responders after the crash. Read more about that here.

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Myths, Lies, & FUD

In a world where opinions are more prevalent than actual truth, it’s often hard to sort out what happened, especially if a story is breaking or just happening. The media sensationalized the Houston crash, of that there is no doubt. However, it moved on well before the NTSB reported its findings. Some outlets reported those findings, but the damage has been done. Tesla took another hit from an industry that is supposed to be fair.

A great example of this evidence showing the damage being done is an article that claimed falsely that Tesla was indeed using Autopilot when it crashed. Not the driver, but Tesla. Notice how these organizations remove accountability for the person driving. Naturally, CleanTechnica debunked that article.

The issue is that no matter what facts are presented, many will believe what the mainstream media says about Tesla and assume the worst. They won’t do their research and will probably think that Tesla is either awesome or overrated. I’ve had friends tell me that Elon Musk is a serial killer who hates poor people and how stupid I am for supporting him — despite the fact that he’s donated funds to my own state to help with hurricane relief, donated funds to help Flint schools and has interacted with me on Twitter in a positive way.

I have faith, however. I used to think Elon was some random billionaire and didn’t know anything about Tesla or SpaceX. I thought he was this faceless entity who, like many extremely wealthy people, doesn’t care about others and is just trying to grow his wealth and power. However, if I can do the research on him and learn about him, then I believe that other good-hearted intelligent souls can, too. This is why we fight the FUD and share the truth — for those who are truly seeking it.

Some of those intelligent, good-hearted souls work for an industry that is biased against Elon Musk and Tesla, yet are doing their part to fight the FUD as well.